Top Tips for Overachievers

WOW, I have been talking about this a lot recently... but all my life I have been the textbook definition of Type A: perfectionist, over-achiever, full of drive, “go go go” , always thinking “what can I do to make this better”. And I just want to say before I get any further, this article is not going to teach you how to NOT be these things. In fact, I would not trade my personality for the world… most times 😉 This article is meant to give you the TOOLS to balance this personality. For those of you doing my 21 Day Power Up, you are working on this inner balance as we speak.. OK as you read this, not speak. This article is meant to show you that temporarily reverting away from those habits can actually propel you forward MORE.

5 Tips to De-Stress the Over Achiever, in a non-stressful way.

What do I mean ‘in a non-stressful way’? I mean that when I am stressed out and people tell me to just calm down and take a break—that makes me MORE stressed. I like being busy, I THRIVE on constantly pushing pushing pushing, I like the thrill of knowing I can always do better. But, I do NOT like slowing down. And, I know there are many people reading this right now thinking “YES, me neither” so this is for you.

Does that make sense? I promise it will if you keep reading.

Stop filling up every split second of your time. When you have 5 minutes before you leave the house, you DO NOT have to find a task to fill these minutes up. Try sitting down and doing something mindless that you enjoy. I PROMISE these 5 minutes that aren’t spent on a ‘productive task’ are still productive for you—you are giving your body a chance to recharge. And, no later in the day you will not regret the ‘missed 5 minutes of work’.

Stress does not have to be negative. I recently read a few studies on perception of stress. The end result? Stress is only BAD if you think it is bad. It has been found that those who have stress but spin it in a positive way experience no negative side effects while those who have the same amount of stress and assume it to be negative, have tons of stress related issues. Next time you are feeling stressed, instead of getting worked up or nervous, say to yourself something along the line of “these things that I am feeling are actually my body amping up to handle everything successfully, my body CAN handle this and it’s simply adjusting to do so.” Also try using synonyms for “stress” and “worry”.

Recognize the good. This one is pretty simple. Take the time to congratulate yourself on a job well done, and celebrate the little things. You deserve it!

Don’t over complicate things. If you are given a task. Guess how long it will take, take that time to complete it, and move on. Trust me, as a certified over-achiever I know the feeling of having to do everything to the max, but just TRY simply completing things that do not need to be overly completed. If you are going to a friends house for dinner, it is OK to buy dessert from a store, you don’t have to make it! If you are studying for an exam, JUST STUDY, you don’t have to write practice tests or litanies of study guides. You get the idea 😉